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The Underdark
Underneath the surface of Alyon lies a completely different world, a series of caverns and crevasses that stretches across the entire world. This underground system is known as the Underdark, a dark dismal place where many beings make their homes. None of them like outsiders and have not even seen the light of day. With the exception of the drow, all who dwell within the Underdark have a weakness to it. (Note: I am not the creator of the Underdark by any means. Credit fot that lies with Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons.) Geography of the Underdark. The Underdark's underground landscape varies from small subterranean fissures almost impossible for adventurers to crawl through to wide expanses of deep water that hide coral caves, hollowed out sections of ice in which creatures live, and places where fungus, bones, or even pure force form "caves." This varied landscape is as dynamic as the surface of Alyon. Some areas are even everchanging over the course of time by underground magma rivers or the emptying of underground lakes due to cracks in the rock formed by earthquakes. This means maps of the Underdark are highly unreliable. Environment of the Underdark. The Underdark's environment varies vastly from the surface world, making adventuring through it a dangerous expedition. Just like trekking through a desert, adventurers traversing the Underdark's passages need to be well prepared. The Underdark goes mainly without any source of light save for the occasional luminous rocks or fungi. Large portions of it are also without food or water, making well-stocked food supplies a must-have when exploring uncharted terrain underground. Lack of light combined with a tomb-like silence makes travelling something for the strong-hearted. The nerve-wracking silence makes even experienced adventurers grow agitated after a few days. Just like deep dungeons, the air can grow stale and even poisonous in the Underdark. It can contain explosive gases from underground volcanic activity or other deadly gases bubbling out of deep fissures in the rock. Bad air and poisonous fumes can collect in portions of tunnels and caves more or less isolated from the main vaults and caverns. Siphon-like tunnels holding water can also trap these gases for a long time. Races Of The Underdark The Underdark is extremely dangerous, especially to those not native to it. It is the home of many predators and often-hostile races, all of which have adapted to the Underdark and have exceptional senses to help them navigate through the darkness. *Drow/ Dark Elves. A dark-skinned subrace of elves, drow are generally evil, though there have been known to be exceptions. They are shorter than many other sub-races of elves and, in common with most Underdark-dwelling creatures, have a tremendous resistance to magic. They also have a much higher birthrate than most other elves, but strife tends to keep their numbers down. They have an odd relationship with the felinaur of Charrvhel'raugaust, going so far as to meet with them in the Underdark and trade with them. There are whispers that it is actually the drow who control Charrvhel'raugaust and not the felinaur, as if they were slaves of the drow, which would not be uncommon in of itself. Slavery plays a large part in drow society and drow households usually have two or more slaves for each member. All unskilled labor in drow cities is carried out by slaves. Above all else, drow save their hostilities for surface elves. They are willing to forge temporary alliances with anyone that will help them inflict pain or suffering on the surface elves, for whom they know no mercy at all. Allies of the drow: illithids, felinaurs, masurions. Gods of primary worship: Náriël Singollo. *Illithids/ Mindflayers. The mind flayer, also called the illithid, is an evil and sadistic being, humanoid in appearance, but with a four-tentacled octopus-like head. These beings are feared throughout the Underdark for their telepathic abilities and usually are not without two or more slaves, mentally bound, to each individual mind flayer. Although they cooperate to achieve a goal, they will back away at the first sign that it is not something that will be self-profitable. They feed on the brains of sentient creatures and are thus feared. Their natural psionic abilities also make them respected in the eyes of the drow, masurions, and the other dominant races of the Underdark. Allies of the illithids: Drow. Gods of primary worship: Galdor Calanor *Behemoths. These beasts usually reside in the lower parts of the Underdark, staying submerged in darkness. They are not intelligent creatures, remaining solitary and isolated. Behemoths are relatives of giants, ranging in height from 10 to 15 feet. They are pale creatures, with thick hides that are impervious to magic and very muscular, with six long and brawny arms that they use to crush prey. They lack eyes, the area where they are supposed to be replaced with a veiny membrane instead. They are unbelievably strong, physically the strongest race in Alyon and below it. They are feared by all, illithids especially, for their minds are too simple to be controlled by the mindflayers. Allies of the behemoths: none. Gods of worship: none. *Masurions/ Grey dwarves. They are close kin to dwarves, but with a diabolic taint to their blood. They now carve out their existence in the Underdark, often near volcanoes. Their kinship to surface dwarves can be compared to that of the drow to surface elves. Like their dwarven brethren, masurions are typically stocky figures, though beyond this there are many differences. Both male and female masurions are typically bald, with females also lacking the capacity to grow facial hair. When they are not bald, however, masurions grow spiny quills like those of a porcupine rather than typical hair, both along their scalp and in their beards, which they can shoot at their enemies. Many are also thinner than their dwarven brethren. Most obvious, however, is their dull gray skin and hair, often matched with an equally stolid expression. Masurions are in some ways even better adapted to underground living than dwarves. While dwarves lack the capacity to see completely in the deepest darkness, this is not a problem for masurions, who are so adapted. Masurions are also immune to many of the ancient techniques used by the mind flayers to control them, such as paralysis, phantasms, alchemical poisons, or some types of illusion, as well as having a general resistance to fire or poison. Allies of the Masurions: Drow. Gods of worship: Idril Anwamanë. *Aboleths. Aboleths are fish-like amphibians of immense size, often reaching twenty feet in length and weighing up to 6,500 pounds, though they continue to grow as they age and some fantastically ancient specimens might reach forty feet in length. Aboleths have powerful psionic powers and are natural psions like mind flayers. However, aboleths have a much more fearsome ability, the capacity to secrete a viscous gray fluid, much like mucus, which brings about a terrible transformation in air-breathing creatures so unfortunate as to be caught in the stuff. The skin of the victim is transformed into a membrane which allows it to breathe in water, but robs the creature of their consciousness. Another strange feature of aboleths is their memory. An aboleth is born with a racial memory, each individual inheriting the memories of its ancestors. Furthermore, it assimilates the memories of those it consumes. Each aboleth’s memories are stored within an ever-growing part of its brain which extends down its back as it ages. Aboleths are greatly unsettled by the similarly powerful illithids, in part because they lack knowledge of the race’s precise origins. Allies of the Aboleths: None. Gods of worship: None. *Cloakers. Cloakers are intelligent creatures who dwell underground and resemble large flying manta rays when active. At rest, they look like a black cloak, hence their name. Cloakers often wait in ambush for their prey and generally attempt to engulf an opponent with their wings. They also have the ability to emit a subsonic moan which can cause fear or nausea in opponents and can shift shadows to conceal themselves or create a mirror image. Allies of cloakers: None. Gods of worship: Vixrothal and Aegrathor. *Quaggoths. A quaggoth is a bear-like inhabitant of the Underdark. Originally believed to have been bred by drow magicians as slave race, the quaggoth have escaped and filled thier own niche in the Underdark. The origin of quaggoths is unknown. Some sages claim that they were once a semi-civilized race which dominated much of the Underdark through conquest and ritual sacrifice, until the drow, masurions, and other races broke their power. Others speculate they had some sort of civilization on the surface and were driven underground; this theory is supported by the quaggoths' hatred for surface-dwelling dwarves and elves. Quaggoths fear no creature. Though they are dangerous hunters, they are just as often prey for other predators of the Underdark. Quaggoths can be trained as servants and guards if captured early. Allies of the quaggoths: None (Though they are often made slaves by drow and illithids). Gods of worship: None.